


Playing Type Matchup

by fictiongull



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Crushes, Growing Up, Humor, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28267386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictiongull/pseuds/fictiongull
Summary: When Hop finds an intriguing photo from Victor’s childhood, they set out to find out the story behind the uncertain smiles.The adventure that follows is one that will take them the length and breadth of Galar, and deep into a past more complex than either of them ever expected.When does the past become history? Is anything ever really over?
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Hop/Masaru | Victor
Kudos: 12





	Playing Type Matchup

“No matter how many Pokémon battles they win, kids are still kids. They do silly things.”

“We can hear you, Mum,” Hop shouted over his shoulder. Victor’s mum had her phone on loudspeaker while she tried to piece together the antique teapot they’d broken last night.

“Maybe I want you to hear, Hop. Anna says you boys haven’t made much progress on the new kitchen dresser. But I suppose talking about all this won’t mend your teapot any faster.”

“Mend it?” Victor’s mum sighed and turned it around in her hands. “No, I think it’s beyond that. But we could ask in Stow-on-Side whether anyone has a Sinistea they want to evolve. The gym is just up the road from the antique market, after all.”

“Oh, that’s an excellent idea, and it’ll give the boys more than enough time to get on with their little DIY project.” His mum’s voice had, Hop thought, a tone of cruel teasing.

He and Victor had already spent over two hours organising the pieces, collecting the tools and shouting at one another every time they picked up the instructions to find that they’d used the wrong sized screws. Neither mum had offered to help but, then again, neither of them had broken the original dresser; they weren’t the ones who had let a Wooloo into the kitchen. Hop shuddered at the memory of turning around and seeing the devastation once they’d shooed it out the door.

He made an insincere grunt of agreement. “Better be leaving soon if you want to be back in time for dinner.”

“I’m sure you two can cook for us if we’re delayed.” Victor’s mum laughed at the look on their faces — the first time he’d seen her smile today — but Hop didn’t say another word. “Hop’s right. We’d better get an early start if we want to get through everything. Lunch on the go?”

Victor’s mum picked up her bag. “Sounds like a plan.” The phone disappeared into her handbag and Victor heard Hop sigh with relief. “Are you two going to be okay on your own?”

“Of course,” he said.

“You won’t go letting any more stray Pokémon in, even if they look hurt?”

“ _Yes_ , Mum.”

She opened the door. “See you later, boys.”

“See ya,” they echoed.

Hop fell back on the settee as the door shut. “Finally.”

-

An hour later, they had made little progress — though the half-built dresser was at least the right way up now — and while Victor was bent over one of the doors, Hop was pacing.

“Why didn’t Dubwool stop me?”

“Hop—”

“No, really. Think about it. They’d understand each other, so surely he could tell the Wooloo wasn’t actually injured.”

“Maybe your sense of humour has rubbed off on your Pokémon more than you think.” Hop didn’t look amused when Victor dared to make eye contact, and he carried on walking the length of the lounge. The work was going faster now Hop was preoccupied, Victor realised.

Engrossed in fitting the shelves, he didn’t see Hop stop to look at the photos that had once crowded the top of the dresser.

“Vic. Vic, come over here a sec.”

Victor looked up, annoyed, to see Hop holding a gold photo frame mere millimetres in front of his eyes. “What?”

“Just come over here. Look at this.” He flipped the frame around before Victor had a chance to move. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

Victor glanced at the photo. “Yep.”

“You barely looked!”

“I looked.” Victor stood and snatched the frame, ignoring Hop’s yelp, but he was soon transfixed; he’d seen it. “What?” he whispered to himself, and to Hop: “That’s your brother and Raihan behind me.”

“Yeah, exactly. Do you remember them?” Hop asked, nodding eagerly as if willing the answer into existence.

Victor considered. “Not really. I didn’t even know it was them until right now.”

He looked closer, Hop practically perching on his shoulder so he could see. The photo had been taken when he was no more than six years old, at a water park that had once existed south of Hulbury. He stood in the middle, looking a little more round-faced but as red-eyed as he looked now, but the people to either side were unmistakably Leon and Raihan. “I’d fallen over and grazed my knee running around the pool,” he said, by way of explanation, and reddened as he continued. “I thought they were so cool, letting me hang out with them for a couple of hours. I didn’t see them after that.”

Hop broke his reverie with, to Victor’s surprise, a frown. “How could you not have recognised Lee before?” he demanded. “He’s incredibly cool _and_ he’s my brother.”

“This was before I moved here, mate. And I met you way before I met — thought I met — Leon for the first time. He wasn’t champion back then, and I don’t think I saw him in person until we started the Gym Challenge.”

Hop looked thoughtful. Lee didn’t have his signature cap and cape, true, and his hair wasn’t half as long as it is now; Raihan had longer hair and shorter legs, a bit of a different smile.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Victor said. “Is that supposed to mean I’m let off not recognising them?”

Hop shrugged. “For now.”

Victor rolled his eyes and turned back to the dresser, but that was apparently another mistake.

“Vic. What are you doing?”

“The work?”

“Yeah, but...”

“You want to know more about that picture? Seriously, man, we’ve got to do this.” Hop supposed he must have looked impatient because a grin broke out on Victor’s face. “I swear I’ll tell you. I promise.” He inclined his head to the tools. “Let’s get this done.”

“Fine,” Hop said. “Fine. But this better be worth it.” But he already knew it would be. He’d seen the look on their faces, and he thought he’d seen something more in that photo too.


End file.
